Automatic dispensers are known in which the spaces for the products are arranged at the flanks of a cylinder rotating round its vertical axis so that after actuation of a locking mechanism, the cylinder rotates to an opening from which the consumer can remove the product. A disadvantage of dispensers of this kind is their large size and the complicated construction of the electrical equipment required to operate the locking mechanism and rotate the cylinder. Another disadvantage of some dispensers of this kind is that the consumer cannot easily determine the condition of the product before making payment. The product can be damaged or injured during dispensing because it can nearly come out of its space during rotation. The structure of this kind of dispenser also makes cleaning very hard and time-consuming.
Dispensers for food and drink are also known having visible spaces each with its own door. The disadvantages of the previously mentioned cylindrical dispensers are avoided, as far as cleaning and identifying the product before payment are concerned. However, the disadvantage of these dispensers is that every space must have its own door and corresponding locking mechanism. This make the construction of the dispenser very complicated, adds weight and makes the production costs rather high. Some of these factors partly diminish reliability in operation.
French patent specification No. 2 103 702 discloses a dispenser in which attempts have been made to avoid the disadvantages of the previously mentioned devices. The apparatus according to this specification can be opened from the upper side and is meant for dispensing bottles, for example. The spaces for the products are closed by a cover made of elastic material which during the use of the dispenser is manually displaced and rolled up into a magazine. The disadvantages of this apparatus are that the locking mechanism is rather complicated and the cover is continuously elastic material, which firstly is easy to break and secondly is rather hard to put into a sufficiently small space. Furthermore, since the cover is manually actuated, damage may result when force is used to open the cover, especially when the locking mechanism isn't in order.